Is it you or the anesthesia talking?
by G4B13
Summary: Fang's Point of view as Max is getting the chip out of her arm. During Book Three. Twoshot. I hope that it's good. Disclaimer: The dialogue is ALL James Patterson. I don't own anything other than Fang's thoughts. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

This is from the third book, so for those of you who haven't read it… beware!

Summary: This is what is going through Fang's mind as Dr. Martinez is operating on Max to get the chip out. It describes him as kind of quiet, but since when has Fang been loud? What are his thoughts…?

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. Practically all the dialogue is accurate, but that is ALL JAMES PATTERSON. My idol. Don't sue me! Great, I'm depressed all over again. Wonderful.

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**Fang's POV**

So Max had decided that we would make a pit stop on our way to California to visit Ella and Dr. Martinez. They were really close, I guess, ever since they had taken care of Max when she was "away".

We flew silently through the sky. I was being led through the town, from hundreds of feet in the air, of course, and it was pretty relaxing, considering all the stress we had been through. I knew Max wouldn't want me to distract her, so I put on my trademark blank face and just followed her lead.

We approached their sunny home. It looked to be around 3:00, and I wondered if we would only knock on the door to get no answer. Max didn't seem to care, and began to walk towards the door.

Turns out we wouldn't have to knock at all because out stepped Dr. Martinez, or the woman I expected to be Dr. Martinez. The second she exited the house, Max froze, wondering what she should do. Dr. Martinez hadn't seen her, and was locking the door, but her head rose as she heard Max shuffle, and she slowly turned around. I was in the shadows, watching from behind a tree in the lush forest that surrounded the home.

"Max," Dr. Martinez breathed out, as if she didn't have any oxygen to say anything out loud. I had to read her lips to make out what she had said. Her eyes were wide with shock, and she froze as if this shock didn't permit her to move.

Before I knew it, Max was running towards Dr. Martinez at full speed, and I worried that she would knock the poor woman over, but she slowed down just in time. I could make out tears coming from the woman, but I couldn't tell if Max was. That frustrated me, not knowing what she was feeling, but then again, if I had known, Max would have hated me and despised me if I were to… I don't know… annoy her with mocking comments.

But I wouldn't do that and actually mean it. I wondered if she knew that I never meant to make her feel bad whenever she thought I did. I loved her too much to see her sad. Then, my thoughts got the better of me. Does Max… like me? At all? Like, more than a brother? Does she… love me? It was a question I asked myself frequently, especially after that little kiss. Was it a little kiss? Did she care? I had always felt something more than "brotherly love" towards her, and I think she knew it. I _thought_ she knew it. I had always cared for her.

I was snapped out of thought by Max, who had her hand pointed in my direction. She probably looked like she was pointing at a tree, because only with her sharp vision could she see me. I covered my expressions up again, and I stepped out of the shadows to face Max's friend.

Dr. Martinez was shocked beyond belief. I didn't know I was that well hidden. I probably looked like Houdini reappearing.

"This is my… brother, Fang," Max said, and I think I saw her gulp as she said "brother". There we go: we kissed not that long ago, and the first intro you make for me is that I'm your brother. Great. That makes me feel loads better.

"Fang, are you… like Max?" Dr. Martinez asked.

"Nope, I'm the smart one," I said, knowing how bad Max wanted to hit me for saying that. I laughed internally to myself.

Dr. Martinez realized that we had gone through this whole sentimental moment in front of her house, and said, "Well, come in, both of you. I was going to run to the grocery store before Ella got home from school. But that can wait."

Max seemed to know her way around the house, but I was already on automatic defense. I had no idea how this house was, and I looked at every hallway and window and door, making sure we could leave the second things got out of control.

I kept smelling the same thing, that heavy sweet smell that gnawed at my empty stomach. I learned later that that is the smell was chocolate chip cookies. They taste really good. If you haven't tried 'em, I don't care where you are. You had better get yourself a packet _fast._ I mean it.

"So you've named your price. Your soul for a chocolate chip cookie," Max said. I made sure that Dr. Martinez wasn't looking before I shot Max the finger, which was only done once I was sure that Dr. Martinez was not looking, and took another bite. Cookies are addicting, especially if you haven't tried them before.

Then the subject of the chip, (no not the chocolate chip, but the evil chip in Max's arm), came up, and I instantly fell silent and rigid. That chip had caused so much pain to all of us, but especially Max. She knew that she was the reason that Erasers and all the danger in the world found us wherever we went. She didn't know that we all knew the same thing: without that chip, we could hide forever.

Dr. Martinez had been studying Max's X-rays ever since Max had left, and she hadn't stopped trying to figure out a way to get it out. Max's eyes pleaded, along with her voice, for there to be a solution. A way to be rid of this chip once and for all.

"I want this chip out," Max said, practically begging. I half expected her to get on her hands and knees, but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head, knowing Max wouldn't stoop so low.

Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she did something drastic. Maybe Dr. Martinez should see how desperate Max had gotten. I grabbed Max's left arm, and turned it so it was palm side up. The ugly scars from when I found her practically bleeding out on the beach glared up at us, red and thick. She glared at me, but I knew that this was the only way for Dr. Martinez to understand why we needed the chip out: so we wouldn't have to watch Max, our leader and the girl I happened to love, try and practically kill herself again.

Dr. Martinez looked at the scars, fear in her eyes. She thought hard before saying, "I can try."


	2. Chapter 2

After our little snack, or in my case practically meal, I ended up stuck in the living room talking to Dr. Martinez while Ella has a nice talk with Max. If I were to tell you what Dr. Martinez talked about, I would bore you to death. Literally. No joke.

After the first hour, I said, "Should we go now, so that there won't be a problem tomorrow? Like, right now, after the clinic is 'closed'?"

"You know, that's a good idea. You _are _the smart one," she said, and she excused herself to go and fetch Max and Ella. I smiled to myself about what she had said. And we all ended up in Dr. Martinez's Sedan and headed to the clinic.

It was unmistakably dark, but no lights were turned on by Dr. Martinez's part. We proceeded to the O.R quickly, nerves not only in Max, but in myself. I was scared. What if something went wrong? What if she lost her hand? What if, somehow, this operation became life threatening? My face was kept straight as we walked, because Max looked nervous enough for the both of us.

Once in the operating room, Max was put on a cold metal table. I didn't even have to touch it to know it was cold, and Max's was too tall to be completely on it. Her legs dangled off the edge. She looked like she was doubting the whole procedure, and I would have backed her up 100 percent if we left. I know that that chip has been the cause of a lot of our problems, but at least Max will be there with me to fight everything that came our way.

They did the chest X-ray and all the tests before they started the actual operation. Max flinched a little as her arm was injected with Valium. She got all loopy, and I could tell. She began to garble and talk all slurred to me. "I'm so glad you're here. I know everything's fine if you're here." Those words were music to my ears… if she was sane and conscious. She was so drugged, I didn't know if she meant what she was saying. I don't think I took that into consideration at that moment, and I took those words to heart. Not that I let it show.

I gripped her hand as I watched the knife meet Max's tanned skin. I had to keep the nausea from overwhelming me, so I concentrated on Max. Her face, her hair. She was so beautiful, but right now, she was so scared. If it wasn't for the Valium, I think she would be struggling against tears. She seemed so calm and carefree, so unlike her normal self.

She was saying things like "The lights are pretty", but she was smiling. As long as she was relaxed, I was fine.

"I'm so glad you're here. I know everything's fine if you're here," she said. I was glad that she found safety with me, even if she was delirious.

"Fang?" she said. Her voice sounded like a three year old calling her mom.

"Yeah, I'm here," I said.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said for the second time.

"Yeah, I got that," I said, hoping she would just be quiet and let this be over with soon. I was getting a little overly apprehensive.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she said. She seemed more and more sleepy with every syllable.

"You'd be fine," I muttered, knowing I was right. What was weird is that without her, I _wouldn't _be fine. I would be far from it.

"No, I wouldn't. I would be totally unfine. _Totally,_" she said, stressing out the last 'totally'. I was wondering if anesthesia made you spill your guts and tell all your feelings, because it was all beginning to sound a little authentic. Darn it, Max, you had to be drugged to tell me all of this, and I have no idea what comes from your heart.

"It's okay. Just relax. Just… relax. Don't try to talk." I probably came out a little anxious and kind of stilted, but I had lost my barrier. That wall that shut out my feelings was knocked over, and they were taking over my usually-expressionless voice.

I kept telling her to stop talking, calm down, and just relax, but she kept getting more and more worked up. It was like with every word, she got more desperate.

"Fang, don't go anywhere," she said. I would never go anywhere. I loved her too much.

"I won't. I'm right here," I said, tightening my grip on her hand a little, making sure she knew that I meant it.

"Fang, Fang, Fang," she said, loopy as ever. I almost laughed. "I love you. I love you sooooo much."

God, does she mean that? Please let her mean that! Of course, she didn't, and if she did, I didn't know for sure. So I stopped fantasizing, kept a straight face, and feigned annoyance, "Oh, jeez."

At last, the whole operation was over, and Dr. Martinez fastened the last bandage. "Okay, the chip is out. I'm going to unfasten your arm, Max, and then I want you to wiggle your fingers."

"Okay," and I felt as her fingers tapped around my wrist.

"The other ones," I said, secretly excited to see her new arm work. Finally we were free of our tracking device. Finally, we could live our lives as normal avian hybrids. Okay, that was a weird phrase, but still. I could live my life with Max, tell her everything I felt and only hope that she felt the same. I mean, when I had kissed her, she hadn't pulled away at the first second, so that meant something, right?

"Okay," she said. Her fingers didn't move.

"Go ahead and move them, Max," Dr. Martinez said, getting slightly anxious.

"I am moving them," Max said, and she seemed positive that she was.

"Oh, oh, no," Dr. Martinez said.

Let me tell you that "oh, no" was an understatement. What the heck were we going to do now, I had no idea...

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I had no idea how to end this, but this is the two shot! There ya go! REVIEW! PLZ! 


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